"History hasn't changed after all."

Rubbing his still-tingling calves, Hyang gazed outside the Eastern Palace. Though still a child, his eyes carried a sense of regret far beyond his age.

The battle over the position of Crown Prince, which could be summarized as Yangnyeong defending while Chungnyeong laid siege, ended exactly as history recorded.

Chungnyeong emerged victorious.

Yangnyeong had not been an incompetent man. And though history never recorded it directly, he possessed ambition as well, just as he had shown during Hyang's first birthday celebration.

But like the Annals described, Yangnyeong preferred roaming mountains and fields hunting rather than studying, and he possessed the soul of a free spirit who loved wine and women.

That kind of man could not endure the immense stress created by the succession struggle.

In the end, he drowned himself in hunting and indulgence to escape that pressure, eventually committing even the forbidden act of illicit relations.

Ultimately, Yangnyeong lost the battle for succession not only because Grand Prince Chungnyeong was extraordinarily capable, but because Yangnyeong himself collapsed under the strain and sank himself.

Though Chungnyeong won the succession struggle, he too suffered a devastating wound.

His wife's family was destroyed.

Once Chungnyeong became Crown Prince, Shim On rose to become one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.

And Taejong was not the kind of man who would leave such a figure alone.

The first time Hyang entered the palace together with the newly appointed Crown Prince Chungnyeong and saw Taejong in person, memories from his previous life resurfaced.

Back when Jinho had been in high school, his Korean history teacher, nicknamed "Samcheonpo" because he constantly wandered off-topic during lessons, had once described Taejong like this.

"If Catholic priests preaching the divine right of kings had arrived in Joseon during Taejong's reign, Taejong probably would've made Catholicism the state religion on the spot. Of course, afterward he'd have chopped off the heads of everyone except the few obedient ones."

At the time, it had only been a hypothetical joke.

But the moment Hyang finally met Taejong face-to-face, he understood.

'That teacher was absolutely right.'

Though age and exhaustion heavily marked Taejong's face, his eyes alone were enough to crush a person's spirit.

"Come closer."

Despite that intimidating presence, Taejong's voice was surprisingly gentle as he received the bows of Chungnyeong and his wife.

"Much has happened, but from this moment onward, you are the Crown Prince. Prepare thoroughly to govern this nation after me, and deepen the bonds between you and your brothers."

"I shall engrave Father's words into my bones and heart."

Once Chungnyeong finished replying, Queen Min seated beside Taejong spoke.

"Crown Princess, from now onward the Inner Court must be governed by you. Ensure no disorder ever arises within it."

"I shall engrave Mother's words into my heart as well."

After offering their advice, Taejong and Queen Min turned their attention toward Hyang.

"The child looks exceptionally clever."

At Taejong's words, Chungnyeong smiled proudly.

"He has already begun studying Sohak."

"Already? Is the child not only four years old?"

"He shall turn four this October."

"Remarkably early."

"He displays talents even greater than my own."

Taejong looked deeply pleased by the answer.

"A blessing upon Joseon and upon the royal house."

While quietly observing Taejong and Queen Min, Hyang immediately straightened his posture the moment their eyes fell upon him. Seeing how pleased they looked at Chungnyeong's praise, he grumbled inwardly.

'Do they have any idea how hard I worked for this?'

As the rivalry between Yangnyeong and Chungnyeong intensified, Hyang had repeatedly agonized over what would be best for himself.

"Why has he suddenly stopped eating so well? Wet nurse, summon a physician."

"Yes, Madam."

Hyang had worried so intensely that his mother, Lady Shim, even summoned doctors over it.

Eventually, he made a decision.

'I'll sharpen myself. Even in the worst-case scenario, I need at least a minimum intellectual and physical foundation. Fine, the physical part may be impossible due to time, but I absolutely need an intellectual foundation.'

The moment he made up his mind, Hyang began learning the Thousand Character Classic as soon as he could speak properly after turning two.

"This child seems to be a prodigy!"

"Indeed!"

Though he still spoke with a child's lisp, Hyang reciting the Thousand Character Classic delighted Chungnyeong and his wife immensely.

Unaware or unconcerned about their reactions, Hyang diligently continued studying.

'Thankfully the hardware's good. Maybe that's because this body belonged to Munjong?'

Perhaps because the real historical Munjong himself had possessed remarkable intellectual gifts, Hyang's memory and comprehension far surpassed those of ordinary children.

As a result, he advanced from the Thousand Character Classic to Tonggam Jeoryo at an age far younger than others.

By the time Chungnyeong officially became Crown Prince, Hyang had already progressed to Sohak.

"His eyes are so bright and lively. It is wonderful to see."

Even while bowing politely at Taejong's praise, Hyang carefully observed the atmosphere between Taejong and Queen Min.

'Yeah... the atmosphere between those two is definitely strange.'

He remembered another thing his history teacher had once said.

"They say enemies from a previous life become husband and wife in the next. Taejong and Queen Min fit that saying perfectly. A couple bound together by both love and resentment."

Hyang drifted back to reality once Taejong addressed his mother.

"I hear the State Father has been extremely busy lately."

"I remain inside my chambers most of the time, so I know little of such matters."

"Is that so?"

The smile vanished from Taejong's face.

"The State Father is no longer young. Tell him I hope he begins living with greater moderation. Even the finest times become meaningless once one loses health."

At the hidden warning within Taejong's words, the Crown Princess broke into cold sweat and bowed deeply.

"Yes. I shall certainly deliver your message."

It was unmistakably a warning.

But history continued exactly as before.

Four months after Chungnyeong became Crown Prince, on the ninth day of the ninth month, Taejong transferred the throne to him.

In the royal proclamation announcing the transfer, Taejong declared the following.

"Until the king fully matures, I shall personally oversee military affairs. Furthermore, in matters difficult for the state to decide, I shall order the State Council and Six Ministries to deliberate upon them, and I too shall participate in those discussions."

No matter how intelligent his son might be, Taejong understood that he would inevitably be pushed around by seasoned veteran officials.

This declaration made his intentions perfectly clear.

He intended to support his son personally while firmly stabilizing the still-fragile foundations of royal authority.

And he did not merely announce those intentions.

Through the Uigeonbu, Taejong continued personally controlling military authority.

Even with Taejong openly declaring his retention of military power, problems still erupted.

The beginning of the incident centered around Kang Sang-in, the Minister of War.

Despite Taejong still controlling military affairs, Kang Sang-in reported directly only to Sejong. Furthermore, he illegally appointed his younger brother Kang Sang-rye to the military office of Sajik, a fifth-rank position.

As a result, Taejong ordered Kang Sang-in investigated.

Though censors repeatedly demanded severe punishment, Taejong took Kang Sang-in's previous merits into consideration as a meritorious subject and merely stripped him of rank and exiled him back to his hometown.

That was the first phase of the "Case of Kang Sang-in."

However, the incident became tied to Shim On's downfall when Shim On departed as chief envoy to Ming in order to secure official recognition of the royal succession.

Reports reached Taejong that not only commoners but numerous high-ranking officials had gathered in large numbers to see Shim On off.

That was when Taejong began sensing danger.

'The father-in-law of the next king, currently serving as Chief State Councillor. And his younger brother Shim Jeung holds a key military office within the army command structure.'

As Taejong's suspicions deepened, an event soon transformed suspicion into certainty.

On November 26th, Assistant Minister of War An Heon-o reported the following.

"Kang Sang-in, Shim Jeung, and Park Seup recently gathered privately."

"And?"

"They said, 'These days orders come from two places. It would be better if they came from only one.'"

At the report, Taejong slammed the armrest and roared.

"What?!"

The Case of Kang Sang-in had resurfaced once more.

And now on a far greater scale.

As the case reignited, Hyang's maternal family was struck by catastrophe.

Kang Sang-in was executed by dismemberment.

Park Seup and Shim Jeung were beheaded.

After returning from Ming, Shim On himself was brutally interrogated before being ordered to commit suicide, while his entire clan was reduced to slavery.

During this chaos, storms raged inside the palace as well.

"You would do this not only to me, but now to your daughter-in-law's family too?!"

Queen Wongyeong Min raised her voice after witnessing another tragedy like the one that had once destroyed her own family.

But Taejong pushed forward with the purge regardless.

During that chaotic period, Hyang struggled deeply.

'It's infuriating being trapped in the body of a child.'

A normal four-year-old would never have fully understood the situation.

But Hyang still possessed the memories and personality of a man in his mid-thirties.

For him, enduring it was unbearable.

'A reasonably powerful maternal family could become a reliable shield in the future. If I could somehow lessen the disaster hitting my mother's side even a little, wouldn't that help me greatly later on?'

Hyang carefully weighed everything.

Taejong adored him greatly.

And the future still remained uncertain.

Yet in the end, he chose not to act.

'No. Staying still is better. History originally unfolded this way too. Maybe I could cry and beg dramatically and somehow succeed, but there's just as much chance things would become even worse because they'd accuse them of manipulating a four-year-old child. And most importantly...'

Sejong himself showed virtually no reaction while his wife's family was being annihilated.

No matter how terrifying Taejong's authority was, complete silence still felt excessive.

Seeing Sejong's response, Hyang made his decision.

'Taejong and Sejong reached an unspoken agreement. In that case, staying motionless is the best possible strategy.'

As a result, Hyang had no choice but to watch his mother cry tears of blood for days on end.

Though Sejong's maternal relatives had been destroyed through the Case of Kang Sang-in, the aftershocks did not settle easily.

"It is improper for the daughter of traitors to remain queen! The queen must be deposed!"

Officials from the Inspector-General's Office and Office of Censors demanded Queen Shim's removal.

But Sejong resisted fiercely enough to stake his throne upon it.

In the end, Taejong personally ended the debate with a single statement.

"She is not jealous. And she has already borne the king three legitimate sons. Deposing her would be improper."

Thanks to Sejong's resistance and Taejong's final decision, Queen Soheon Shim managed to keep her position.

Watching how the debate concluded, Hyang nodded quietly.

'Good thing I didn't interfere.'

Praising himself internally, Hyang looked toward the main hall.

"Guess blood really can't lie."

His history teacher's words came back to him once more.

"Maybe it's because they descend from military bloodlines, but both Taejong and Sejong become frighteningly cold whenever they need to make decisions."

In the end, after watching everything unfold in real time, Hyang shook his head.

"So the ultimate goal really was strengthening royal authority."

Then he sighed quietly to himself.

"Being king really isn't easy..."